When I stayed at an ashram in India we would practice breath work and asana very early in the mornings when the kitchen fires were also lit. Many mornings the meditation and practice hall was filled with smoke. These were not the ‘ideal’ conditions I imagined when I thought about training in India. We practiced anyway.
Today’s video was recorded in a teensy window of time when my family was out. When I came up with the idea to post every other day in the month of December I didn’t consider the part that I would be away for part of it, or that my family would also be home for two of the four weeks. In one part of this particular video my cat, Lou, plays with a very loud toy (sorry) and then later attacks my foot. The result was not the video I imagined but one that still shows what I hoped to share: a yoga series filled out with extra poses.
When you decide to practice at home, conditions also might not be ideal. Maybe you live with loud-talkers or where street noise feels intrusive, perhaps you have minimal space or a busy schedule, feel like it’s too hot or too cold…the list could go on forever.
Practice anyway.
Have more than an intention…
Recognize the value of filling your own well of kindness; when your own well is full, you are more likely to spill kindness out into the world through your interactions with others.
Everyday, carve out the time to look upon your breath and your body with gentle kindness and gratitude. If you do this for one minute each morning it is better than the intention of practicing for one hour and never getting around to it.
Start small and build.
Once you have built a basic structure, pose by pose, then fill out that structure and allow yourself the freedom to practice with a playful and friendly curiosity. The series I have shown in the last 30 days is only one of many possibilities.
Begin in kindness. Everyday.
